Go Rochester Direct

I wish there was a way to give Zero stars. I was taking the shuttle from Minneapolis to Rochester. As I was picking up my bag, I was called by them and I told them I will be 2 minutes late. They guy, Rob (worst customer service agent ever) told me if I get there in 2 – 3 minutes he will get me on. I ran half way across the airport to get there 2 minutes late and he shuttle was there only to find Rob gave my seat to someone else. They did not let me on and put me on a later shuttle. He did not have the courtesy to apologize and said in my defense you are 2 – 3 minutes late.
There is no way to speak to a manager or a supervisor at this time and their call center person says we wait for up to 5 minutes.
Shame on you, Rob and Go Rochester Direct. You just lost one customer.
Readers, please book Rochester Shuttle Service or Ride with Star.

I rode to MSP from Rochester with GoRochester Direct again today and decided it was time to give them a good review, since they’ve provided consistently top-​notch service each time I’ve used them. Other friends from Rochester have had similar experiences. The drivers are polite and friendly and professional and although I’ve had one or two slight delays due to traffic or bad weather, it hasn’t been the driver’s fault. I’ve found them very reliable with timing overall.
I also appreciate that there’s a real person, and a helpful and intelligent one, available when you call customer service. On time they even helped us track which stop a van carrying an airport-​bound friend was at so we could catch up to them with a bag he’d forgotten at our house. And today they were able to switch me to an earlier shuttle on short notice when I found out I needed to get to the airport earlier than I thought.
Recommended!

Far superior to the other major shuttle service between MSP and Rochester. The driver was right on time, the shuttle had plenty of room, and the driver was friendly, professional, and a good driver. This will now be my «go to» shuttle for trips to Rochester.

I have taken Go Rochester Direct a couple times and they have always been good. Today was rough, I called Saturday to change my pickup time since my flight was later. Supposed to be there at 11:30 and by 11:45 I called as they didn’t show, she said when I changed the time I told them Delta on my Reservation and I don’t agree with that so had to wait another hour, then get crammed in with the shuttle full, driver can’t figure out the air situation and several people had to push him to turn on the air as we were literally roasting for 15 – 20 minutes. Finally got that figured out and while I know it was very windy on the ride home using the 10 & 2 rule on the steering wheel made for a back and forth ride, feeling like a Roller Coaster ride and I’m sick already and we have another 31 miles left. Just not the greatest experience this time.

I saved a couple hundred bucks by taking the shared Go Rochester instead of renting a car. (Sorry, National.)
Only reason I’m giving four instead of five stars is that the van is a little cramped. Take out a row of seats and it’s five.
The reservation process was easy and thorough (they called me to see if I wanted a pick-​up at home). The van left on time, the driver was fun and polite.
Only other downside wasn’t Go Rochester’s fault. I have a cat allergy – really bad one – and there was a «cat lady» on our ride. My nose ran, and throat and eyes itched for 70 of the 77 minute drive.

I got home almost two hours early after a long trip, thanks to Go Rochester Direct.
I was scheduled for a 10:45 p.m. shuttle from the airport. My flight landed early, and Go Rochester Direct, having monitored my flight, held the earlier shuttle for me. Extraordinary service.

Tried the other shuttle company on my last trip– crowded old van – so decided to give RochesterDirect a try-​best decision! Pick up was only 1 minute past time– driver knew my name, had reservation on his list– handled my suitcase professionally– and helped me in van. Brand new van, comfortable seats, clean. Safe driving– temperature great for our cold drive to Minneapolis Airport. Arrived at airport in time. Will be using them again!

This business is the worst. No one is interested in helping you. If you call the local number, they say you have to talk to the national office to make a change. If you call the national office they refer you back to the local office as they say they «can’t check the availability.» Totally inept.

I typically have had good experiences with this shuttle service, and I would have given them 4.5 stars, but I had a bad encounter with the shuttle service today. I arrived about five minutes before my 03:15 am pickup at their headquarters and waited for the shuttle. I saw no one there, and then I walked outside and again saw no parked car or person. I loitered in the entryway of the hotel, and the hotel staff saw me on the camera and asked if I wanted to wait in the lobby because it was cold and all I had was a light fleece (was going somewhere warm with only a carry-​on). I told them that I was waiting for my shuttle, and the staff said that they would come inside for me and that no one had come by yet to pick anyone up. Ten minutes after my pickup time, still no one showed up, so I called the office. They then told me that I was not on the reservation list, despite my purchasing my ticket in advance in person at their headquarters, so they said to hold on. They then said I was a no show and that someone came by. Seriously? I came on time, and when I called, they initially said they didn’t see my name on the list, suggesting their poor documentation. The worst part is that this woman on the phone did not apologize and was rude to me. She told me to wait for the next shuttle 45 minutes after my scheduled appointment. Needless to say, if I did not give myself an hour buffer time, I would have been in big trouble. Plan ahead if you want to use this service. Give yourself over an hour buffer time. I would have given this company 0 – 1 star based on this incident, but I gave them 3 stars because I have met some nice drivers in the past who make up for this woman’s rude behavior, for the poor documentation of my reservation, and for lack of any service recovery for 45 minutes of wasted time. The company is not what it used to be!
Update: I got picked up at 3:45 (earlier than the 4 am time that I was told on the phone) at Holiday Inn Rochester. We made it out of the city at 4:50 am after picking up everyone else. Got to the airport at 6 am after speeding (thankful to the driver for this). Made it to the end of the longest TSA check-​in point because it is Thanksgiving. Downgrading this service to a 2 star review because I could have missed my flight if the driver drove at the speed limit, if I didn’t walk quickly/​run to the line, if I had to check in any bags, or if TSA were moving at its typical pace. Good thing I booked this shuttle almost four hours before my flight time, otherwise I could have missed my flight. I am also fortunate that I checked in on my cell phone yesterday and did not require luggage to be checked in, so I could go straight to the security checkpoint. Basically, I booked this service to avoid stress and hassle, but this caused much more stress. In the amount of time I could have driven there (from 3:15 to arrive at 4:45), I was still in Rochester…

I am a physician and needed to get right to hotel to rest for the day tomorrow. Showed up at the airport tonight at 1020pm and went out side to get in the dark red/​maroon shuttle which had plenty of room in and the older man driver told me to wait for the next one and just took off. When I went in to the airport to discuss with the officials and ask them why he would leave me they told me the company routinely does that to split up the money for the drivers and give their buddies enough work. On top of all this I was later crammed with 8 other people in small white van charging 15 dollars a head to go 15 minutes downtown and had to make 3 – 4 stops before finally getting to my hotel well after 11pm. The driver seemed pissed that I didn’t give him a tip.
Oh yeah, they don’t have many cabs either servicing the airport so cabs wasn’t even an option. This company is terrible.

My decision in rating was a toss up between different aspects of the experience. On the one hand, the service reps I dealt with responded quickly to get me on an earlier shuttle for my recent trip both going to and coming from the twin cities, so for that I give them a 4. However, the quality of the van is hit or miss. The return trip from the twin cities put me in a van without a seat belt for one seat in the back. Also the rider seated next to me was in a seat that was loose and where the seat belt bracket connecting it to the side of the van appeared to have pulled away and become somewhat unanchored and squeaked constantly for the hour and 20 minute ride. Also the shocks were worn out and it was like riding in a hay wagon. For this I’m concerned with comfort, and safety so rate at a 1 or 2.

I’ve used Go Rochester Direct numerous times and have always been pleased. The vans are nice and clean, the service has always been excellent and the rates are very reasonable. Each time has been a very pleasant experience. I would highly recommend this shuttle service.

Wow! People either love this service or hate it. I have only used it twice and I would say that overall I was pleased. To put my travel experience in context, my travel from Denver to Rochester started out very stressful. Let’s just say, I will be writing a nasty letter to Southwest Airlines which (along with the terrible TSA workers) caused me to miss my flight to Minneapolis. I ended up flying out of Denver 2 hours later than planned which made me miss an important social gathering which I was supposed to attend in Rochester. I was in Rochester for a job interview and I am going to be extremely angry if I don’t get offered the job because of the lazy, careless and incompetent workers at the Denver International Airport.
After I missed my flight and had it rescheduled, I called Go Rochester Direct and explained what happened. The lady I spoke to was patient, helpful and polite and rescheduled my reservation for 2 hours later. When I arrived at MSP, I called to get directions to the shuttle pick up. I think I spoke to a different person this time because she had some trouble understanding me. She told me to go to the 1^st floor information desk. Once I was on the 1^st floor, I saw car rental company desks but not the information desk. I told her that and she told me to ask someone from a car rental company where to go from there. So, she wasn’t as helpful as she could have been. Still, I found the information desk okay. I told the lady there that my reservation was for 6:15 and it was, I believe, 5:15 at the time. I asked her where I should wait for my shuttle. She said that there are 2 shuttles outside right now and I should ask the drivers if they have a seat for me. I was very happy to find out that there was a seat available, so I hopped on the shuttle and we headed to Rochester. The driver was helpful and dropped me off at my hotel in a timely manner.
The day before my departure I called and asked if I needed to confirm my reservation. The lady did look up my reservation and confirmed it, but she didn’t actually say whether they require passengers to confirm the day before or not, so I still do not know. The only reason why I called is that I had an experience in Las Vegas, NV where I did not confirm my reservation and the shuttle did not come.
On my departure date I stood by one of the two pick up locations at my hotel (the hotel staff told me where to go). The driver, Troy, walked over to me and informed me that the shuttle would be departing from the other location (it was basically around the corner). He was very pleasant and asked if he pronounced my name correctly, then grabbed my suitcase and rolled it to the van and put it in the back. Troy was very nice and helpful to all the passengers. He told us to let him know if it gets too cold in the shuttle and which terminal we need to get off at based on the airline we were flying. He helped elderly passengers get out of the shuttle by letting them grab onto his arm for support. Troy also gave us updates on where we were in our itinerary.
I could tell that Troy was very enthusiastic about his job. He even said that he loves what he does and enjoys meeting new people and hearing their stories. I actually sent a message to the company to tell them what a joy Troy was, especially since he told us that his wife, who has a complicated medical history, was having a medical emergency and was on her way to a hospital in an ambulance right as Troy was picking us up. He said that he came to work this morning because someone needed to take us (passengers) to the airport, but he would leave work early to go see his wife at the hospital. I was very impressed that he showed up to work and was very courteous and attentive to the needs of the passengers during a very stressful time.
Overall, I had a very good experience with the drivers, but I felt that communication between myself and the staff who answer the phones was a bit difficult and awkward at times (something that could be improved). That is why I gave them 4 stars instead of 5. I would use this service again if I were to go back to Rochester and I would love to have Troy as my driver again.

Got where I need to go but the driver was exhausted and had cruise control on — kept veering all over the road. I stayed alert the entire ride in case I needed to hop up front and grab the steering wheel. Scary.

Can’t really say how the actual ride was. We went into their setup in the Kahler Grand and the woman behind the desk was more interested in talking to a colleague than giving us information. Used Rochester Shuttle twice and liked them from start to finish. See my review on their page.

I recently had a nephew scheduled for surgery at Mayo and had several issues with my flights (missed, Cancellations, Delays Etc.) it was a crazy day of feeling like Tom Hanks in the movie when he lived in the airport. Needless to say, with all the issues I encountered which included 5 changes, arrival airport from Rochester to St. Paul and then finally I was going to drive then the call came that the surgery was cancelled.
The staff was incredible! They just rolled with each change needed and you could tell they did it with a smile on their faces. There was never a conversation or complaint from them just solutions. They made an incredibly stressful situation dealing with airline run around and no solutions to how can we help make things better.
They did not hesitate to offer to credit my whole reservation and when I asked if they could just transfer the reservation to my sister and nephew they did «again» with a smile their faces. I am in the customer service industry and I want to thank each person who took a little bit of the pressure of with each call. Thank you! Keep smiling the customer can see it through the phone.

I received a confirmation email, with pick-​up at my hotel. I was present 5 minutes early, but a van did not arrive until 5 minutes after my appointment. I was then informed that this was a different shuttle and asked if I had checked in within the hotel. There was absolutely no indication in the confirmation email that I had received that there was a requirement to check in within the hotel lobby. Of course when I went inside to do so, I find out that my shuttle had already left. No call, no email, and no indication that I had to check in. I will now likely miss my flight, as the next shuttle will arrive less than an hour before its departure. Very poor business model. I will not be using this service again.

Great service from Minneapolis airport to Rochester hotels and Mayo. I was left stranded by another shuttle service and made a last minute booking with this company at the airport. Very clean van, polite driver, and timely service. The only negative was the wifi in the van didn’t work for most ppl but an hour without internet can be a blessing anyways!

Horrible service. The guy at the MSP counter took 15 minutes to book my reservation while at the next counter, 4 people finished during the same time. Driver informed us the van Wifi was «missing» when we got in the vehicle — no mention of this while checking in. Charged for home delivery service, but driver forgot to call a taxi so I had to wait at the Kahler for 20min. Will never use Go again.

After having to make arrangements for an unplanned trip to the Midwest my first destination was the MSP Airport with a final destination to Lacrosse, Wisconsin. Once again due to unfortunate circumstances and to make things simple I called on Go Rochester (Go Carefree) to fill in the 150 plus distance gap. I only called ahead to confirm the departure time and without prepaying or making an official reservation I was able to walk up to the counter pay the bargain price of only $ 49 and was scheduled on the next ride out within minutes. Gary offered to take my bags to preload before we left, and I even had time to grab a much needed Diet Coke before we hit the road! Gary drove us safely until we reached our midpoint in Rochester, by then I was the only passenger left. Gary was very pleasant to talk to along the ride and quickly moved my bags to the next shuttle and was fast to escort me inside like a gentlemen after I was approached by and over friendly pedestrian. The second driver took over the next half and although new drove like a pro, was polite and enjoyable to talk to as well. It’s not often I am in need of using a shuttle but wouldn’t hesitate to use Go Carefree/​Rochester again! Great service, great price and definitely the easy route to take!
Thanks for getting me to my destination safely and making it pleasant along the way!